When I try to frothe milk I've noticed that it may get a bit watery. Is this expected when using steam for frothing? I would assume that a certain water content would be inevitable ( using water as heat source), but I am concerned that it also could be that my technique, or the equipment is lacking i.e too low steam temperature/ water intermixed with the steam.

Is it an expected added water content in milk? From weighing I've found approx 10% weight increase from water, in milk otherwise acceptable temperature, nice foam etc.

Edit:Q: What is your experience, using your best equipment and perfected technique? :-)

I've tried that, usually I have a half full glass of water to let the steam build up in before dipping in the milk (I also use it to blow out any steam left in the wand before making another coffee - actually the machine forces me to do it before it will make another espresso)

Then your machine is probably not good enough to give you dry steam. You will probably want to upgrade sooner rather than later. I am guessing it is what I call a "steam toy". I started there also for $20 from craigslist. Then I did a lot of research and got Oscar. Used Oscar is a great starter machine.

If I see the specs correctly, this is billed as the smallest superauto espresso machine. No boiler, but a thermoblock. The thermoblock will control temperature and wetness. It should dry, as dry as it will get, quickly as there is no boiler. Yes, a brief purge at it reaches heat to steam the water. Especially in single boiler dual use machines the boiler will be full up to the steam valve allowing water in when first opened. If you just bought it and can return it, consider that.

Then your machine is probably not good enough to give you dry steam. You will probably want to upgrade sooner rather than later. I am guessing it is what I call a "steam toy". I started there also for $20 from craigslist. Then I did a lot of research and got Oscar. Used Oscar is a great starter machine.

Thanks for all information! I guess I should've done my homework before getting the machine!

I was looking for an fully automatic alternative to nespresso/pod machines, as I wanted to avoid lock-in to one single vendor/form factor and limited coffee selections - in more or less the same price range...

It is really hard to get the quality from an fully automatic machine, even people that love theirs admit it is only OK coffee at best when you compare it to a shot drawn by a barista or coffeegeek. Another thing to consider, there are a fair amount of used Oscars out there and some are set up for es pods and you can convert a grinds one to pods for about 70$. I believe you can fill your own pods but you still need a grinder if you do. Pods on an oscar is about the only way I would try to do what you are wanting. But really I would not do pods except for an office break room espresso machine.

It will give you a good starting point. Also, I am on year two on my starter machine and I am still happy with it. I am 100% sure if I had started with a single boiler I would be going nuts wanting to upgrade by now or have been forced to upgrade already. So, that would have been 200$ spent on something I was not happy with and a lot of frustration learning a machine I did not want to keep for very long. I have been really happy with my purchase and all the money and learning I have spent on him I am still using. Also, I like milk drinks and there is no question it is a pain to do a lot of milk drinks in a row on a single boiler. That is part of the reason I started higher up the espresso ladder. I can steam as a pull.

Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.No SEO style postings will be tolerated. SEO related posts will result in immediate ban from CoffeeGeek.No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.